Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections

E93897

Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections is a 1966 U.S. Supreme Court case that struck down state poll taxes in elections as unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause, reinforcing protections against wealth-based voting restrictions.

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Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections canonical 2

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Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court case
constitutional law case
voting rights case
appliesTo local elections
state elections
concerns Equal Protection Clause
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
poll tax
voting rights
wealth-based voting restrictions
doesNotRelyOn Twenty-Fourth Amendment
hasChiefJusticeAtDecision Earl Warren
hasCitation 383 U.S. 663
hasConstitutionalBasis Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause
hasCountry United States
hasCourt Supreme Court of the United States
hasDecisionDate 1966-03-24
hasDecisionType landmark decision
hasDissentingOpinionBy Hugo L. Black
John Marshall Harlan II
linked to: John M. Harlan II
hasJurisdiction Commonwealth of Virginia
linked to: Virginia
hasMajorityOpinionBy William O. Douglas
hasPage 663
hasPetitioner Annie E. Harper
hasReporter United States Reports
hasRespondent Virginia Board of Elections
hasVolume 383
hasYearDecided 1966
holding State poll taxes in elections violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
Wealth or payment of a fee cannot be made an electoral standard
impact invalidated poll taxes in state and local elections across the United States
isPartOf Warren Court jurisprudence
linked to: Warren Court era
legalPrinciple Right to vote is too precious, too fundamental to be burdened by a price tag
overruledPrecedent Breedlove v. Suttles
prohibits conditioning the right to vote on payment of a poll tax
reinforces prohibition of wealth discrimination in voting
relatedTo Baker v. Carr
Reynolds v. Sims
Voting Rights Act of 1965
strengthens judicial protection of the franchise
subjectMatter civil rights
election law
equal protection jurisprudence
timeContext Civil Rights Era

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Referenced by (2)

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383 U.S. 663 hasCaseName Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections